Photo of the Day: Putin’s Pipe

No extensive commentary is needed for this one.  The Prime Minister flew across some seven time zones to put his signature on the pipe which will bring gas from Sakhalin Island.  Exxon, and other foreign participants are reasonably panicked about what kinds of prices will be imposed upon them to sell gas inside Russia.

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Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin leaves his signature on the tube of a new gas pipeline in Russia’s far eastern city of Khabarovsk, July 31, 2009. Putin travelled to Khabarovsk on Friday to inaugurate the start of the pipeline to the Pacific port of Vladivostok, which will ultimately liquefy gas from Sakhalin island for export to Asia. (Source: Reuters Photos)